There is a bizarre case out of Maryland where school officials sent teacher and novelist Patrick McLaw, 23, to an emergency medical evaluation for publishing, under a pseudonym, a novel about a school shooting. That’s it. A language-arts eight grade teacher at Lane Middle School writes a book about a school shooting and he is put on leave by the Dorchester County Board of Education, investigated by the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, and sent away for evaluation. “The Insurrectionist” happens to be set 900 years in the future but the board couldn’t just wait for the shooting to occur and had to act. What is striking is that all of these steps have been taken and McLaw has been effectively treated as a danger to children but no one has said a thing beyond the novel that is the basis for the actions. Was there something else that raise the danger of a violent act by McLaw? Officials have not been shy about distributing McLaw’s picture, assuring parents that they will protect their children (presumably from McLaw), and generally portraying him as a possible threat to children. Yet, when it comes to the basis for these actions, no one is saying a thing.
Officials have noted that McLaw has used various names. Yet, news reports indicate that he had his original name “Beale” legally changed and he has said common pseudonyms as an author.
McLaw is the author of two books: “The Insurrectionist” and its sequel, “Lillith’s Heir.”
After he was sent for evaluation, the police swept Lane Middle School for bombs and guns. After all, a novelist had been roaming the halls unescorted. His home was also raided by police.
Dorchester County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henry Wagner (right) assured parents after the novelist was removed that police will be present at the middle school “for as long as we deem it necessary.”
Weirdly, the whereabouts of McLaw is unknown and he is on leave. Dorchester School Superintendent Dr. Henry Wagner said
In response to community inquiries, we are providing the following additional information.
“The concerns regarding Mr. McLaw were originally brought forward by the Wicomico County State’s Attorney last week. They have advised that an investigation is ongoing but the details may not be released, as it may compromise that investigation.
“All appropriate background checks were conducted prior to Mr. McLaw’s employment with DCPS,” Wagner said. “Furthermore, none of the above-mentioned matters took place in conjunction with his employment with DCPS.
“Nevertheless, by way of additional precautions, the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) is providing a presence at MLMS. His photo and the original press release have been issued to all schools. We are working closely with law enforcement (the Dorchester Sheriff’s Department and CPD) to insure that all of our security protocols are followed.”
The 2013-14 school year was McLaw’s first year teaching at Mace’s Lane Middle School but he was one of the nominees for Dorchester County’s First Class Teacher of the Year
this year.
The Insurrectionist includes the following quote:
“On 18 March 2902, a massacre transpired on the campus of Ocean Park High School, claiming the lives of nine hundred forty-seven individuals — the largest school massacre in the nation’s history. And the entire country now begins to ask two daunting questions: How? and Why? After the federal government becomes involved, and after examining the bouquet of black roses that lies in front of the school’s sign, it becomes evident that the hysteria is far from over.”
Unless there is some really chilling evidence that has not been uncovered, McLaw may have an extraordinary lawsuit in the making. Various news sites are reporting that McLaw was put through this nightmare because of his novels. If so, this is a ridiculous and abusive series of actions by both school and police officials. If there is something more, these officials need to be clear that there was some evidence beyond the novels that prompted these actions. No guns or bombs were found in the school or his home. So what is going on? As the novel states, it is “evident that the hysteria is far from over.”
Source: The Atlantic
Kudos: Don Clarke
Kudos to the school officials for catching this. Most people don’t know that school violence works under the same principle as Beetlejuice, so this really was a close call.
So now teachers can’t write fiction about subjects that have a direct impact on their profession. That’s awesome. Go America.
I don’t need to hear from the police or the state attorney, we all know what’s going on there, the usual disregard for the constitution/ hammer -> nail mentality. I want to hear from the students at that school. They just had a scenario from Fahrenheit 451/1984 dropped on them, and I’m curious if they’ve noticed. I’d also love to hear which is more frightening to them, a guy who wrote a book, or the short-tempered armed thugs that are currently occupying their school.
Shows how the state (local as well as federal) can destroy a person’s life at will.
If that power cannot be used wisely, then the state should not have that power.
We need to get rid of that “qualified immunity” BS; idiots operating under color of law need to be personally liable for their actions.
I might have to read these.
What kinda of gaze in the eyes did the states attorney have?
The bigger injustice here will be when the taxpayers are held financially accountable. The officials are in the wrong here, not the taxpayers. Not until we become a society where public officials are actually held accountable for their actions, will taxpayers ever enjoy immunity from shouldering errors and corruption of public misfits, who will think twice next time they decide to step out of line, if they ever have such a chance again.
In the past, when a tragic event happened – the assassination of JFK, MLK, Jr, Challenger . . . students were encouraged to write about the events and their feelings. To use their creative energies to work their emotions out and understand what happened.
But now, that will get you a trip to the police station.
Gestapo.
May I add that it does not appear, from the article above, that the author glorified, condoned, or encouraged school shootings. Rather, he has a shooting placed in the future with the community asking the hows and whys, the same as now.
Shall journalists now be reported to police for writing articles about these shootings?
The Thought Police strike again!
WHAT??? Is writing novels about school massacres suddenly illegal? Or is it legal but you will lose your job?
These tragic mass murders by the mentally ill have so shocked the nation, that of course it will become incorporated into creative work, as well, as people work out their emotions and beliefs.
None of the hysterical actions of the education system are actually effective in protecting children from the homicidal mentally ill. Namely – expelling or suspending children and reporting them to police for chewing pastries into firearms, playing cops and robbers using their fingers for firearms, or wearing an NRA T-shirt.
The only steps that actually WOULD protect kids, they are unwilling to do. Fix the mental health system so that when people display disturbing red flags they can be evaluated and treated. Put armed guards in schools (what a great job for returning vets or retired police.)
I hope he sues the pants off of everyone involved and this madness stops. And I hope his writing career gets launched so he’s able to support himself off of that and the riches he’ll win in court.
Reblogged this on Citizens, not serfs.
I prefer oldie novels, like Edgar Allan Poe’s Pit and the Pendulum.
Surely someone with the courage to create on a blank page day after day with the frequency required to produce a book deserves better treatment. Where’s Garrison Keilor?
“Officials have not been shy about distributing McLaw’s picture, assuring parents that they will protect their children (presumably from McLaw), and generally portraying him as a possible threat to children.”
Isn’t this slander? By distributing his photo without charges, sounds to me like they are taking a page from the US Attorney office and convicting in the court of public opinion when there isn’t evidence to bring an actual charge.
Hope this guy takes the city and the schools to the cleaners for defamation and slander. Lets see the search warrant and find out the judge that authorized a search of this guy’s home as well.
“They have advised that an investigation is ongoing but the details may not be released, as it may compromise that investigation.”
These kind of statements need to be banned from use under punishment of banishment to the center of the moon.
If I discover that my mechanic is writing novels about gory deaths via car crashes, I may seek another mechanic.
A school district in a rural county actually has a published author as a language arts teacher and it runs him off because of a book he wrote prior to his hire. Sounds like a pure “CYA” move because the county failed to do their vetting before he was offered a job.
Right now the Dorchester County Thought Police are combing through the subconscious of the rest of the faculty to ensure there are no teachers who’ve ever been to an Off-Broadway production of “Oh! Calcutta!”
They have guaranteed the sales of this novel though. 🙂
The Nanny State strikes again. His next novel will be on bureaucracy gone wild.
This is SOP for Maryland. The state will PROTECT you. Just watch what you say, where you walk, and where you gaze, and all will be well.
The wrong person is in evaluation. The supervisors, and cops need to be evaluated more than this poor guy. I hope that this guy sues and gets enough to retire and devote himself to writing more books. It would be a fitting punishment for the school system and police. These folks should also be banned from reading his books since it is clear that they are so mentally unstable that reading such books will set them off to commit such crimes.